OJ Semans has driven nearly 1000 miles through N. Dakota Indian Country, visiting Standing Rock, Spirit Lake and Turtle Mountain reservations, to mobilize voters and troubleshoot voting hurdles. A U.S. Supreme Court ruled last month on a state law that threatens voting access for thousands of Native Americans in the state. (Ed. note: RBG dissented, of course.) The law requires voters to present an ID that displays a street address, which disproportionately affects residents of reservations, where street addresses are not common. But Semans thinks the law may motivate more Native Americans to try to vote. Sen. Heidi Heitkamp (ND-D) won her 2012 election by fewer than 3,000 votes — a victory attributed to her support among Native Americans. The new law is expected to affect voting access for as many as 5,000 Native Americans, and Heitkamp is facing a fierce challenge.
At time.com
